


day in the life of the dreamies

by eyeseathevision



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, chenle falls asleep on his friends all the time and they just let it happen, i thought id put them out there, in one way or another mark and haechan are totally gay for each other, jaemin cries when someone gives him a gift because he is a big soft baby uwu, jeno is a total dad, jisung could actually kill them all if he wanted to, no homo tho, only respect for MY dreamies, renjun is just happy to be there honestly, these are just some drabbles ive been working on, we STAN
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 03:55:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15040142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyeseathevision/pseuds/eyeseathevision
Summary: just some drabbles about the dreamies cause i stan uwu





	1. Chapter 1

     “Why you gotta be like that, Mark?” Haechan whined incredulously.

     “Like what?” Mark shot back defensively, arms hanging limp as his body hung upside-down from a tree branch that was a little too high for his liking.

     “Like a dumbass, hyung,” called out Jeno helpfully, running around in circles with Chenle on his back. Chenle scream-laughed as he rolled off the older boy’s back and toppled to the ground.

     Mark rolled his eyes. “Says you.” He looked back to Haechan, who was giving him a judgemental look over his round glasses. “Can you help me down though? Bro?”

     Haechan sighed dramatically, pushing himself off the bench he was seated on. Jisung, who was probably playing a game on his phone, had been leaning on Haechan’s shoulder, and promptly fell over with a flurry of curse words. Renjun and Jaemin laughed at the scene as they tossed a frisbee back and forth several yards away.

     Even though Mark was stuck in a somewhat uncomfortable position, the tree branch scraping the sensitive underside of his knees and blood rushing to his fingertips, he took a second to soak in the moment. Summertime meant that he and his group of friends, (“hooligans”, as his mom had put it), had all the freedom in the world. Mark and his best friend, Haechan, met in their 8th grade science class when Haechan singed  Mark’s eyebrows off during a lab and Haechan, laughing and coughing hysterically, invited Mark over to play video games that afternoon. They became instant bros.

     The next year, their first year of highschool, they joined the D&D club and met Renjun, Jeno, and Jaemin. The next year, Chenle joined their campaign and friend group, and the year after the youngest boy, Jisung, joined. Even though Jisung was younger than the rest, he was very mature and sophisticated for his age, and soon became their most strategic player. He quickly fit in with the others, and the group was complete. They had been inseparable since.

     “Earth to Mark,” Haechan said in a singsong voice, waving his hand in front of the older boy’s face. Mark was launched back to the present. “Sup, bro.”

     Haechan grinned wickedly. “Kiss me, Spiderman.” 

     Mark let out a nervous laugh as Jaemin, Jeno, and Chenle started chanting,  _ kiss, kiss, kiss _ . “Shut up and help me down!”

     Haechan shook his head in disappointment, reaching out to grab Mark’s arms. “Aish, what a coward. C’mon, I’ll catch you.”

     Without warning, Mark flipped his legs over the tree branch and began an awkward front-flip that ended with the two boys sprawled on the grass below, Haechan letting out a strained wheeze. “Bro, you could have warned me.”

     Mark sprang to his feet, brushing the dirt and grass off his shirt and adjusting his backwards hat on his head. “Get wrecked, bro.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this honestly comes from my own experiences with panic attacks (not the family support tho lol) so pls know that anxiety can take many different forms and not just the way im describing 
> 
> also!! the advice that haechan gives to mark about being okay to be ugly sometimes is advice that my best friend gave me after i was freaking out about having picked at my skin for several hours one night (i got dermatillomania smh) and its the best advice that anyone has ever given me and it completely changed the way i think about myself so i hope this can help someone else who may be struggling with those insecurities xoxo

     When Haechan found Mark having a full-blown panic attack, he became the first member of their group to know about Mark’s struggle with his anxiety disorder.

     The evening started off normal enough. The group often gathered at one of their homes to make dinner together, provided they make enough for their family as well. This time they had convened at Jaemin’s house, a cozy one-story home on the outskirts of town. Jaemin’s family had gone out for dinner rather than wait for the boys to make extras, so they had the house to themselves. They were making ramen, but with their own noodles, vegetables, and meat, not the packaged instant kind. Renjun and Chenle were cutting chicken into strips, Haechan and Jaemin were arguing about how much spice they should add to the meal, Jeno and Jisung were cutting up vegetables, and Mark was stirring the noodles with his back turned to the rest. 

     A playlist of American 80’s pop music blasted from Haechan’s phone on the counter, (“These are songs that white people always turn up to, bro”), and the boys were loudly singing along to Africa by Toto. 

     “I BLESS THE RAINS DOWN IN AFRICAAA,” Jeno bellowed, and the others cackled in amusement. Renjun and Jisung began slow-dancing to the song, flinging chunks of chicken and kimchi to the tiled floor. Chenle was doubled over laughing as Jaemin hurriedly went to pick up the dropped food, and then Chenle let out a high-pitched scream.

     Mark whipped around to see Chenle cradling his hand, blood pouring from a deep cut on his thumb. Haechan turned down the music and yelled, “What’s wrong?” Jaemin immediately went into mom-mode. He moved the knife Chenle had been using away from him and inspected the younger boy’s hand. “Chenle, what happened?”

     Chenle was still smiling, but he was holding back tears. “I got distracted and my hand slipped, I’m sorry. It’s not too bad, it just scared me.” Renjun, who had disappeared briefly, arrived with gauze and disinfectant. They sat Chenle down on a kitchen stool and cleaned his wound, but Mark had already bolted from the room. 

     He stumbled his way to the bathroom down the hall and slammed the door shut, not bothering to lock it. The image of little Chenle, blood covering his hand and almost in tears, replayed over and over in his mind. He subconsciously knew that he was breathing way too fast and his vision was starting to go dark, but there was nothing he could do. Mark wrapped his arms around his legs and gasped for air, his body shuddering and wracked as he tried to hold in sobs. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to slow down his racing thoughts, but it was no use. It was all his fault, Mark was the leader and the oldest, and he had let Chenle injure himself and what if it had been much worse? What if the younger boy had cut his thumb off? What if he needed to get stitches? Mark’s frazzled brain flew through all the worst-case scenarios that could happen. What if the wound gets infected and Chenle gets sick and has to go to the hospital, what if they needed to bring him to the hospital right now, what if - 

     “Mark?” Haechan’s voice was soft, gentle, rather than the usual joking tone. He didn’t notice that someone had opened the bathroom door, shut it behind them, and sat down next to him. Mark let slip a loud sob, and followed it with a cough to try and play it off. 

     “Chenle’s going to be okay, Mark. We bandaged it all up and he’s laughing with the others like nothing happened. It was just an accident,” Haechan said carefully. “It’s okay, Mark. Everything is okay.”

     Mark kept his eyes shut, face buried in his knees. He gave a quick nod between frantic breaths. The realization hit him hard: Haechan was  _ here _ , and he was seeing Mark in his worst state possible. Haechan probably thinks that Mark is being a baby, a wimp, an idiot for acting like this. He’s probably going to leave and tell the others about what a crybaby he is and they’ll all make fun of him, and he’ll be alone in this tiny bathroom while his friends carry on without him, and -

     “What can I do to help, Mark?” Haechan asked quietly. Mark looked up in shock. He was aware that his face was probably flushed and his eyes were puffy. “W-what do you m-mean?”

     Haechan’s expression was kind. The younger boy pushed his glasses up his nose. “Can I touch you, or do you not want that right now?”

     Mark burst into tears then and there. His head dropped back down and he closed his eyes again, nodding. He felt Haechan put an arm around his back, and put his other hand on Mark’s knee. He rubbed Mark’s back slowly as his breaths became less ragged and his legs stopped shaking. Haechan didn’t ask any more questions, just kept repeating comforting words and that no, Mark wasn’t crazy, that everything was going to be okay, that Haechan didn’t mind being there, that he cared about Mark so much. It might have been no more than five minutes or several hours, but he was finally able to compose himself, sniffling into the sleeve of his hoodie.

     Mark picked his head up and wiped his face on his sleeves. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that,” he croaked out, trying to laugh a little to relieve the tension in the air. Haechan just patted his back and smiled. “It’s okay, Mark. I’m gonna go get you some water, stay here.”

     With that, the younger boy slipped out the door, and Mark let out a long sigh. He brought himself to his feet and turned on the tap, splashing his face with cold water. Daring to look in the mirror, Mark’s heart fell.

     He was ugly. Not in the way that one feels insecure about how they look at any given moment, but in this current situation, genuinely ugly. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen, skin all blotchy and red, lips puffy and chapped. He washed his face again, and as he was drying it with a hand towel, Haechan came back in holding a glass of water. Mark took it gratefully and leaned back against the counter, Haechan taking a seat on the closed toilet lid. Mark took tiny sips from the cup, avoiding his friend’s eyes. 

     “The others went outside while the food is cooling off. Come to the living room with me,” said Haechan softly. Mark dejectedly let the younger boy lead him to the couch and sat down next to him, pulling his hood up to hide his face. He supposed that there was no getting around the situation. After several minutes of silence, Mark spoke.

     “I got diagnosed with anxiety disorder when I was 12. I guess it runs in my family. I thought that I was just overreacting at first, that I was just stressed from school. Then I had my first panic attack, and I thought I was dying. Like, literally dying. Thank god my mom was there and explained to me what was happening.” He took a deep breath, feeling Haechan’s gaze on him. “I started taking pills for it when I was 14. They help a lot, but sometimes it gets bad again.”

     There was a few moments of silence before Haechan spoke. “Mark, look at me.”

     The older boy shook his head, leaning down to hide his face more. “I look real ugly right now, bro.”

     Haechan let out a little laugh. “Dude, that’s okay. No one looks that great after crying. Not even Michael Jackson could look handsome after crying. That’s normal. It’s okay to be ugly sometimes.”

     Mark sat there and let his brain process what Haechan had said. No one had ever told him that. He was usually met with the reassuring, “You don’t look ugly, you look fine!” Hearing that created an even greater conflict in his brain, because he  _ knew _ they were lying. But Haechan hadn’t said that. 

     Mark glanced up at his friend and managed a weak smile. “No one’s ever told me that before. Thank you.”

     His friend had an indescribable expression on his face. It was soft, full of empathy, and something else Mark couldn’t place. It made his chest feel warm and tingly.

     “I got you, bro,” Haechan assured him, once again putting an arm around Mark and holding him close. “I’m always here for you, even when things get bad.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> writing this this made me so soft 
> 
> also? its probably obvious but jaemin's insecurities/past experiences with friends is something that i have experienced and continue to experience and its a really really shitty feeling to be abandoned by ur "friends" so if u feel that im sorry and ily

     It was 3:30am, and Mark couldn’t sleep.

     Usually he had no trouble sleeping, but he had drank a little too much soda that night at his friends’ weekly sleepover. They were staying at Jeno’s house this time, a modern two-story building close to the city. His parents were out of town, so the boys had planned a massive sleepover with way too many Doritos, a two hour-long Nerf gun fight, and a binge-viewing of Rupaul’s Drag Race. Around 2am, after Chenle had fully passed out in Mark’s lap, they started unrolling their sleeping bags and climbed in. Soon enough, Jeno’s considerably large living room was full of the sounds of gentle snoring and the occasional shifting of bodies in their comfy cocoons. 

     Mark had fallen asleep with the others then, but woke up an hour later fidgeting and restless. He carefully slid out of his sleeping bag and tiptoed around his friends into the hallway. Deciding he wanted some fresh air, he made his way to the door leading to the back porch. He stopped in his tracks when he heard light murmuring coming from outside.

     “Do you think I’m crazy?” Mark recognized the soft voice of Jaemin.

     “No, Jae, of course not.” That was Jeno, for sure. Mark peeked out the door, staying hidden in the shadows, not wanting to interrupt. The two younger boys were huddled close to each other on the porch steps, their backs turned to Mark. Mark knew that he should probably stop eavesdropping and go back to bed, but he was too curious and nosy.

     Jeno was clad in a t-shirt and sweatpants, while Jaemin was drowning in an oversized sweater with his pajama pants. Mark recognized the sweater as Jeno’s, and he smiled.

     Jaemin sounded worried, not convinced. “I just don’t want to mess things up again.”

     “That wasn’t your fault, Jae. Those fake friends of yours were assholes, you deserve so much better than that,” Jeno said firmly. “You were too good for them. Their loss, honestly.”

     Jaemin threw his head back to look up at the sky, the stars just barely obscured by the city lights nearby. “It’s hard not to think that everyone will end up like them eventually.”

     Hesitating only for a second, Jeno shifted closer to the other boy and put his arm around him. “I know. It must be really scary.”

     The two boys sat in a comfortable silence as Mark watched, surprised. He knew that Jaemin could get insecure, and that he had had bad experiences with friends before joining their group, but the boy had never gone into much detail. He made a mental note to check on Jaemin more often, especially when he seemed to isolate himself from the others.

     “I found something that reminded me of you,” Jeno said, shaking Mark from his thoughts. “You know how my family went to the sea last weekend?”

     Jaemin nodded, leaning his head on the other boy’s shoulder. 

     Jeno fumbled around in his sweatpants pocket for a moment, and produced something small that Mark couldn’t see in the darkness, but judging from Jaemin’s gasp, it was probably something really cool.

     “Did you really find this, hyung?” Jaemin asked excitedly, taking the small object and examining it.

     “Yeah! My dad said that old marbles wash ashore from time to time, but I’ve never seen one before. This is a white and yellow cat’s eye. I immediately thought of you when I found it,” Jeno said proudly, scratching the back of his neck. 

     Jaemin was quiet for a few moments, and then he slipped the marble into his pants pocket. “Thank you so much.”

     Jeno turned his head to look at Jaemin and smile, and Mark could see the adoration in his eyes. “Anything for you, dear,” he replied jokingly. Mark had a feeling he wasn’t entirely joking.

     He left his friends cuddling on the porch and snuck back down the hallway and to the comfort of his sleeping bag. Strangely enough, he had no trouble falling asleep then.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jaemin gets his fashion sense from me ur welcome

     Jaemin was isolating again, and to Mark’s surprise, the younger boy had invited him over to his house. As Mark rode his bike, the early afternoon heat blazing down on him, he wondered why Jaemin had reached out to him rather than Jeno. He arrived at Jaemin’s house sweaty and uncomfortable, and let himself in. Jaemin had texted him saying to come up to his room when he got there, so Mark grabbed a bottle of energy drink from the fridge and made his way to Jaemin’s room.

     Jaemin’s bedroom, like the rest of the house, was small and cozy. The walls and floor were wooden, like a cabin, and gave the place summer camp vibes. The curtains were drawn shut, but tiny fairy lights covering the walls illuminated the room enough. Rose-scented incense burned on the desk, and a salt crystal lamp on the nightstand cast Jaemin’s face in a warm rosy glow. Mark took a seat on the bed next to Jaemin, who was laying down and giving Mark a small smile. “Thank you for coming, Mark.”

     The older boy returned the smile and relaxed back into Jaemin’s pillows. “Of course, bro. How are you doing?”

     Jaemin was still smiling, but everything seemed off about him. His hair stuck up in odd places like he hadn’t brushed it in awhile, and there were prominent dark circles under his normally bright eyes. His expression was weary and his gaze seemed almost glassy. “I’m doing okay, hyung.” His voice cracked at the end, and the younger boy winced. “I’ll be okay.”

     Mark remembered the way Haechan had approached Mark when he was having the panic attack in Jaemin’s bathroom weeks ago. “What can I do to help right now?”

     Jaemin’s eyes crinkled a bit. “There’s a shoebox under my bed. Could you grab it for me?”

     Mark nodded and hopped off the bed, crouching on the floor. He saw the brown box and slid it out from under the bed, taking a seat upright on Jaemin’s bed. The other boy pushed himself up into a sitting position. He took the box from Mark wordlessly and opened it.

     Mark was speechless. The box was full to the brim with objects, some that he recognized as things he had given to Jaemin over the past three years. Some pressed yellow flowers tucked into the birthday card he had gifted the younger boy last year, movie tickets from all the times the boys had gone to the movies, and several flattened coins when they had gone to the train tracks after Renjun had showed them his collection. Mark saw dozens of post-it notes and pieces of notebook paper containing player notes from D&D campaigns and secret notes passed back and forth in class after Mark got caught on his phone and had it taken away for the rest of the period. The box was full of little trinkets and memorabilia of the good times Jaemin had with the group. Mark even saw the yellow marble that he had seen Jeno give to the younger boy that one night, as well as a crystal pendant he assumed was amethyst and a bracelet made out of tent rope. Jaemin dug through the box, eventually settling on a folded up piece of paper. He opened the letter and began to read.

     “Dear Jaemin, your dumb ass has finally joined our friend group. It only took several months of forcing you to hang out with Haechan and Jeno and Renjun and I before you realized that we weren’t going to let you leave. I’m glad that you feel comfortable with the rest of us now, not just Jeno. I remember the first day I met you, when I accidentally spilled iced tea all over your D&D manual. Instead of getting upset, you told me that it would add character to the book and rushed to get paper towels from the bathroom before the liquid reached the game board. You are always able to make the best out of any situation, and I admire that so much. Even when Renjun broke his wrist while playing Wii Sports (how the fuck does that even happen??) you told him that he looked like a cool superhero with his grey cast, and carried all of his shit to class for him every day. You’re a real friend, bro. Welcome to the gang! xoxo Mark hyung.”

     Jaemin looked up and grinned at Mark. “This meant so much to me, you have no idea.”

     Mark was stunned. He never knew how much of an impact he had made on Jaemin, and his heart swelled. “You’re right, I really don’t have any idea. But I’m glad that that made you happy. I feel like a proud older brother.”

     Jaemin laughed sweetly, looking genuinely happy. “You really are like an older brother to me. I’m -” He cut himself off, and then continued. “I’m really grateful to have you as a friend.”

     Mark felt his eyes start to sting with the familiar promise of tears, and willed them away. “Can I ask, what happened with your old friends, Jaemin?”

     Jaemin’s expression turned wary, but before he could answer, the moment was broken by a loud rumble from his stomach that had to have lasted over twenty seconds. The boys burst into laughter as Jaemin tried to regain control. “I’m, hahaHA, so sorr-” He couldn’t finish his sentence as he dissolved into giggles, Mark clutching his side.

     Once Mark could talk again, he tugged on Jaemin’s shirt sleeve. “Let’s go make you something to eat first. When was the last time you ate anything?”

     Jaemin wiped his eyes, still giggling. “Ah, yesterday morning I think? I had a banana.”

     Mark frowned. “Alright, I’ll go make you something. How does leftover chicken sound? I saw some in the fridge.”

     The other boy nodded gratefully. “That would be awesome, hyung.”

     Mark was turning the chicken over in the microwave when Jaemin walked into the kitchen. He had washed his face and combed down his hair, and had changed into a floral-printed button-up t-shirt and cutoff jean shorts. His face was full of life again, and Mark couldn’t help but smile at the sight. “You look much better. Happier, I mean.”

     This time, Jaemin’s smile reached his eyes. “Jeno once told me that it’s okay to be ugly sometimes. But I feel a lot better now.” He walked over and gave Mark a tight hug. “Thank you, hyung.”

     Mark hugged him back and gestured to the couch as the microwave dinged. “Go sit down, and we can talk after you eat.”


	5. Chapter 5

     The first time Mark got drunk, it was off of straight-up vodka that his older friend Taeyong had snuck him at the older boy’s birthday party. The drink burned his throat raw, but after a few shots, he couldn’t even taste it anymore. It turns out that when Mark is intoxicated, he goes absolutely batshit crazy. At Taeyong’s birthday party, he managed to break two cups and a table, smoke a joint from the wrong end, dump half a bottle of lotion onto an aloe plant, (“ _ It needs to be moisturized, hyung _ !”), and attempted to recreate the “Oh no I hope I don’t fall” vine until one of Taeyong’s friends, a boy named Jaehyun, caught him before he could tumble down the stairs. Although Mark woke up the next morning slightly nauseous and with a thundering headache, he had never had so much fun. So when Haechan said that he wanted to get drunk for his 18th birthday, Mark knew exactly what to do.

     “Bro, this, this, thiiis tastes like shit,” Haechan whined next to him, taking a swig of soda to get rid of the taste. The boys had started the night with a shot each and went to their favorite arcade in the city, all of them a little tipsy. Once the arcade closed for the night, they escaped to a playground nearby Haechan’s house. They often snuck out there after dark to go stargazing, fool around on the playground structures, and dare each other to run across the field alone without a flashlight. Now, it was the perfect spot to be absolute idiots without getting caught. 

     Jisung was only allowed to have the one shot, according to a unanimous vote by the others, but he seemed tipsy enough, doubled over laughing as Chenle attempted to rap a BTS song and was struggling profusely. Jeno and Renjun were having a chin-up contest which mostly consisted of them laughing too hard to get a grip on the bar and pushing up their sleeves and asking Jaemin who had bigger muscles. Jaemin watched them happily, seemingly in his own little world as he absentmindedly sang an Ariana Grande song. 

     Mark was considerably drunk, and he knew that Haechan was too, the younger boy slurring his words and leaning against Mark’s shoulder for support. He watched as Renjun gave up on the “bro-off” and Jeno started dabbing aggressively, causing Jaemin to fall over giggling.

     “Hyung, do you, do you, you want go on the swings?” Haechan asked, his head lolling around. Mark nodded his head enthusiastically, shrugging off his jean jacket, and pulled the younger boy up to a standing position. They stumbled across the pavement, shoulders bumping into each other from time to time, laughing as Renjun, Jeno, and Jaemin started a game of tag in the field. 

     The swings were rusted and creaky but the boys pumped their legs until they were soaring back and forth from the structure. Mark let his eyes close and felt the rush of wind flicking through his hair and his thin t-shirt as he swung harder. He felt weightless and like dead weight at the same time, and when he opened his eyes again, seeing the ground rush towards him almost made him fall off the swing. He let out a little yelp, and Haechan bellowed out a laugh. “Aish, you  _ idiot _ , Mark.”

     Mark’s head spun and without thinking, said, “You  _ love _ me, bro.”

     Haechan stuck his tongue out at the older boy and replied matter-of-factly, “Maybe so.”

     The moment broke when Mark swung back and collided with something that he soon realized was Jaemin, who was knocked to the ground, still laughing. Haechan dragged his shoes on the woodchips to slow his swing down as Mark straight up jumped mid-air and rolled across the ground. “Bro, you okay?”

     Jeno helped the fallen boy to his feet, who was grinning wildly with a bloody nose. “I’m fiiiiiiine, hyung!”

     Mark felt an arm wrap around his shoulders, and Haechan said, “What the hell, Jaemin? Are you blind?”

     Jaemin shook with laughter, gasping out an answer. “I, I, I wasn’t looooking, bitch.” Haechan playfully hit the boy’s chest as the others burst into laughter, Chenle practically shrieking. Mark’s whole body was tingling and warm as he laughed without care, grasping onto Haechan’s flannel sleeve.

     “Hyungs!!” called out Jisung, who was standing farther away in the field and waving his arms to signal his location in the dark. “Get the fuck over here!”

     Jeno casually ripped off one of his t-shirt sleeves and gave it to Jaemin, whose nose was still gushing blood. The boy clutched his nose and smiled gratefully. Haechan tugged on Mark’s shirt, grabbing his attention. “It’s your Uber driver. Am here.”

     Mark fell into a fit of giggles as Haechan moved in front of him and gestured for Mark to climb onto his back. The older boy leaped on, and Haechan took off running, yelling incoherently. Mark wrapped his arms around Haechan’s neck and encouraged the younger boy on between wheezed laughter. Behind him, Mark heard Jeno yelling for Jaemin to climb on and the running footsteps of Chenle and Renjun. When Haechan reached Jisung, who had his phone out and pointed towards them, he spun around in circles until both he and Mark fell to the ground in a heap, followed by Chenle and Renjun. A few moments later, Jeno dropped Jaemin unceremoniously onto the grass and immediately collapsed next to him, breathing heavily. Chenle dragged Jisung to the ground, and the seven boys lay spread out in the grass, looking up at the sky. 

     Although Mark’s vision was spinning, he could still see the mass blanket of constellations across the wide expanse. He tried to think of something to say to his friends, something meaningful and inspirational, but nothing came to mind, and he laughed out loud at himself. On one side of him, Chenle snuggled close and laid his head on top of Mark’s arm. On the other side, Haechan started plucking blades of grass close to Mark’s outstretched hand, and at some point or another, hooked his pinky finger around Mark’s.

     Renjun lifted a hand to point up at the stars. “Do you think there’s life out there?”

     “You mean, like, aliens?” Jisung scoffed. “Of course not.”

     Chenle moved even closer to Mark’s side and mumbled, “I hope not. They probably hate us.”

     “That’s a goooood point,” slurred Jaemin, who was practically on top of Jeno. “Humans are so, so, shittyyy.”

     “Well,  _ I _ think they're out there,” Renjun affirmed defensively. “The universe is just too...BIG for it not to, you know?”

     “Dream on, conspiracy theorist,” Jisung replied, but his tone was light and joking. “Did you watch that podcast episode about those ancient Mayan temples again? I told you those weren’t aliens.”

     “I know! It dismisses the real culture and intelligence of the Mayans, but maybe those  _ ideas _ came from -”

     “Yah, stop geeking out,” Jeno called out. “You’re making my tiny brain hurt.”

     Everyone laughed, and as Chenle started snoring into Mark’s shirt, as cheesy as it was, Mark realized how truly lucky he was to have his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes all of the things described in the first paragraph are things that i myself have done while drunk :)


End file.
